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Lockout: What about the 22,000 students at CBS?

Can the students attend lectures and exams during a lockout? (Photo: Anne M. Lykkegaard)

Closed buildings, canceled exams and lectures? The consequences of a lockout for the students are yet to be made clear. Jeppe Ask Tofteskov, President of CBS Students, says that canceled exams are among the biggest of concerns. Senior management is about to get an overview.

Anne M. Lykkegaard

About 22,000 students at CBS risk being affected by the possible lockout, which is threatening to send home the majority of staff members on the 10th of April, at the earliest.

Update: 04.04.2018

Update 04.04.18

The mediator, Mette Christensen, has decided to postpone the lockout and the strike 14 days.

This means that the strike cannot be issued before the 22nd of April, and a possible lockout is postponed until the 28th of April. Unless, the professional organizations and the Danish Agency for Modernization come to an agreement, Mette Christensen has the possibility to postpone both the strike and the lockout another 14 days.

Update 28.03.2018

If CBS’ employees are locked out, it is going to affect a number of tasks and activities at CBS. The majority of the teaching activities and most exams scheduled during a possible lockout period will be cancelled. More information about which exams will be carried out will follow as soon as we know more.

Case processing and other programme administration tasks will as a general rule be postponed with the same number of days as a possible lockout period lasts. The Student Hub and Student Guidance Service will be closed. It will not be possible to get your questions answered during the lockout and CBS will not communicate further until the lockout has ended.We will, continuously, update the article as more information about the consequences of a lockout in regards to the students are coming in.

At the moment, senior management is getting a full overview of how many members from the staff are subject to the lockout, as it would give an idea about how much of CBS’ daily activities can run as normal. Furthermore, senior management has sent some questions to the Agency for Higher Education about the students’ legal status.

As soon, as senior management has made a final decision on how CBS will run during a lockout, the students will be informed through my.cbs.dk.

Jeppe Ask Tofteskov, the President of CBS Students, explains that if exams are cancelled due to a possible lockout, certain groups are more vulnerable than others.

“If exams are cancelled it would be of the biggest concern for the fourth semester master students, sixth semester bachelor students, and exchange students. Getting the exams rescheduled is of the highest priority,” he says.

What is a lockout?

A lockout is a collective action initiated by an employer and is a response to the strike notices issued by the professional organizations. This means that the professional organizations on the one hand have appointed selected employment groups for strike, while the government has issued a lockout notice on the other hand.

The effect of a lockout is a temporary suspension of the affected employees. This means that the affected employees are not allowed to work during the lockout.

As of the 10th of April, employees at CBS will be covered by a lockout unless the parties negotiating new state contracts arrive at an agreement.

(Source: my.cbs.dk + HR FAQ-sheet)

A lot concerning the students is not yet certain. However, two things are:

SU is not going to be affected, as long as you meet the requirements needed to receive it.

Residence permits for international students are not going to be affected. However, you have to be aware when the residence permit expires. If a lockout comes into effect, and you get delayed with your studies, then you have to apply for an extension.

“I totally understand that people are nervous about the consequences of a possible lockout, but I ask people to be calm, as we don’t know if it will come into effect. Yes, it’s annoying if one’s exam is cancelled, but just try to see it as a source of irritation and nothing more. Also, I don’t think the lockout will last long,” says Jeppe Ask Tofteskov.

Background

The collective agreements for the public sector expire by the end of March 2018. Negotiations to renew the agreements are taking place under the heading ‘OK18’. So far, the organizations representing employers and employees have not been able to reach any agreement.

As part of the escalating conflict, the public sector’s employer, the Minister for Public Innovation Sophie Løhde (V), has given notive of a lockout which will affect more than 120.000 of the 180.000 state-sector employees in Denmark.

(Source: My.cbs.dk + HR FAQ-sheet)

On the 15th of March, CBS Students invited all students to a meeting about the consequences of a lockout, and Jeppe Ask Tofteskov explains that CBS Students will have a similar meeting when there is more news about the lockout and its consequences.

“Furthermore, if the lockout comes, CBS Students will be open to questions in the period of the lockout. We hope that the student assistants in administrative positions at CBS, who will not be subject to a lockout, will help out with the answering of questions from the students,” he says.